Dual axis hook assembly for a power tool

ABSTRACT

A power tool includes a housing and a hook assembly. The hook assembly includes a hook support and a hook member. The hook support is rotatably attached to the housing for rotation about a first axis. The hook member has a shank portion and a hook portion. The shank portion defines a second axis that is transverse to the first axis and is configured to rotate with respect to the hook support about the second axis. The hook portion extends in a radial direction from the shank portion. The rotation of the hook support about the first axis alters an orientation of the shank portion of the hook member with respect to the housing, and the rotation of the shank portion with respect hook support alters the radial direction of the hook portion.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 61/862,820 entitled “DUAL AXIS HOOK ASSEMBLY FOR A POWER TOOL” byFrancis et al., filed Aug. 6, 2013, the disclosure of which is herebyincorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure is relates generally to accessories for power tools, and,in particular, to hooks and hanging elements for suspending power tools.

BACKGROUND

Suspension accessories, such as hooks, have been incorporated intovarious power tools to enable the power tool to be suspended on anotherhook, ledge, rod, or other similar type of object provided on a wall,bench, or belt of an operator. Such a suspension accessory provides aconvenient way to stow a tool, temporarily or otherwise, when not inuse. However, a suspension accessory, such as a hook, must necessarilyextend outwardly from the tool to be of use. As a result, a hook orsimilar type of structure can inadvertently come into contact with otherobjects and interfere with the use of the tool.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an one embodiment of a power tool equippedwith a dual axis hook assembly in accordance with the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the power tool of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are plan views of the dual axis hook assembly shownremoved from the power tool.

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the power tool of FIG. 1 showing thehook assembly in greater detail.

FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the power tool of FIG. 1 showing thehook retaining portion of the hook assembly of FIG. 4A in greaterdetail.

FIG. 5 is cross-sectional view of a portion of the power tool of FIG. 1in including the hook assembly.

FIG. 6A depicts the hook assembly of FIG. 1 in an extended position withthe hook oriented in a first radial direction.

FIG. 6B depicts the hook assembly of FIG. 1 in an extended position withthe hook oriented in a second radial direction.

FIG. 7A depicts the hook assembly of FIG. 1 in a stowed positionrelative to the tool housing.

FIG. 7B depicts the hook assembly of FIG. 1 in an extended positionrelative to the tool housing.

FIG. 8A is a front view of a power tool suspended by the dual axis hookassembly.

FIG. 8B is a side view of the power tool of FIG. 8A suspended by thedual axis hook assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of thedisclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated inthe drawings and described in the following written specification. It isunderstood that no limitation to the scope of the disclosure is therebyintended. It is further understood that the present disclosure includesany alterations and modifications to the illustrated embodiments andincludes further applications of the principles of the disclosure aswould normally occur to one of ordinary skill in the art to which thisdisclosure pertains.

The present disclosure is directed to a dual axis hook assembly for usewith power tools. The hook assembly can be incorporated into the housingof the power tool to enable the tool to be suspended from a hook or rodwhen not in use. The hook assembly has a dual axis design that enablesthe hook element to be positioned close or adjacent to the body of thetool to minimize possible interference with use of the tool. When thetool is not being used, the hook element can be extended outwardly fromthe body of the tool and oriented in a plurality of directions tofacilitate the hanging the tool.

One embodiment of a power tool 10 equipped with a dual axis hookassembly 12 in accordance with the disclosure is depicted in FIGS. 1-8.In the embodiments disclosed herein, the power tool 10 comprises ahandheld circular saw. In alternative embodiments, a dual axis hookassembly, such as disclosed herein, may be incorporated into any type ofpower tool, hand tool, tool accessory, cordless tool, corded tool,specialty tool, and substantially any object that could benefit fromhaving the hook assembly of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 1, the power tool 10 includes a housing 14 having amotor portion 15 and a handle portion 16. The motor portion 15 enclosesthe internal components of the tool, such as a motor, a gear, and drivesystem (not shown). The handle 16 extends from the motor portion 15 andprovides an operator a place to grip and hold the tool during use. Thedual axis hook assembly 12 is incorporated a suitable location of thehousing 14. The location used for the hook assembly depends on the typeof tool, the weight distribution of the tool, the location of thehandle, and other factors. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1-8, the hookassembly 12 is located on an upper portion of the housing 14 near thehandle 16. Although one hook assembly is illustrated, two or more hookassemblies can be incorporated to the power tool without departing fromthe spirit of the disclosure.

The hook assembly includes a hook 18 and a support 20. The hook 18 has ashank portion 22 and a hook portion 24. The shank portion 22 comprises astraight, longitudinal section that is used to attach the hook 18 to thesupport 20 on the tool housing 14 and that defines one axis A ofrotation for the hook assembly 12. The hook portion 24 extends in aradial direction from one end of the shank 22 and has suitable hookshape for use in suspending the tool.

Referring to FIGS. 3-5, the support 20 includes a hook retaining portion26 and a shaft portion 28. The hook retaining portion 26 is locatedexterior to the housing 14 and defines an open-ended passage 30 in whichthe shank portion 22 of the hook member 18 is rotatably received. Theshaft portion 28 of the support 20 is used to secure the hook assembly12 to the housing 14 of the power tool. In addition, the shaft portion28 is rotatably supported within a portion of the housing 14 so as todefine the second axis of rotation B for the hook assembly 12.

The passage 30 is sized and shaped complementary to the shank portion 22of the hook 18 and is configured to allow rotational and axial movementof the shank portion 22 within the passage 30. Referring to FIGS. 3 and4, the end 32 of the shank portion 22 protrudes from the opening 34 atone end of the passage 30, and a fastener structure 36 is extendedthrough the protruding end 32 to prevent the withdrawal of the shankportion 22 from the passage 30. The portion of the shank 22 extendingfrom the opening 38 at the other end of the passage 30 is provided witha collar structure 40 to limit the advancement of the shank 22 into thepassage. In alternative embodiments, the shank 22 of the hook member 18may be rotatably and translatably retained in the passage 30 of the hookretaining portion 26 in any suitable manner.

The hook retaining portion 26 may be configured to releasably retain theshank 22 at a plurality of discrete angular positions in relation to theretaining portion 26 and the passage 30. This configuration providesflexibility in orienting the hook member 18 to suspend the tool at apreferred position and/or orientation and to maintain the tool in thisposition while suspended. In one embodiment, the discrete angularpositions for the hook member 18 are enabled using detents.

Referring to FIG. 4B, in one embodiment, the hook retaining portion 26includes detent structures 42 that are arrayed about the opening 34 tothe passage from which the end 32 of the shank 22 extends. The detentstructures 42 are configured to cooperate with the fastener structure 36to releasably retain the shank 22 at a plurality of discrete angularpositions in relation to the hook retaining portion 26. In thisembodiment, the fastener structure 36 comprises a rod or pin, such as aroll pin, that protrudes outwardly from one or both sides of the shankend 32. The detent structures 42 comprise notches or grooves forreceiving the protruding portions of the pin 36.

A biasing member 44, such as a compression spring, machined spring, aspring with shape forming alloy or material, is used to bias theprotruding portions pin 36 into the notches 42. The spring 44 ispositioned around the shank 22, between the collar structure 40 and thehook retaining portion 26, to bias the shank 22 in the direction C (FIG.4B). To rotate the hook member 18 from one angular position to another,the shank 22 of the hook member 18 is pushed and/or rotated withsufficient force to overcome the biasing force of the spring 44 so thatthe protruding portions of the pin 36 can be rotated out of one set ofnotches 42 and into another set of notches 42. The collar structure 40is spaced apart from the hook retaining portion 26 to provide adequateclearance for the spring 44 to be compressed so the shank 22 can berotated.

The number of notches 42 used and the positioning of the notches 42about the opening 34 to the passage 30 control the number of discreteangular positions for the hook member 18 about the axis A. In FIG. 4B,four evenly spaced grooves are provided around the opening 34 to thepassage 30 which enable the hook member to be retained at 90° incrementsabout the axis A. Two of these positions are depicted in FIGS. 6A and6B, respectively. In alternative embodiments, more or fewer grooves maybe used to provide a greater or lesser number of possible orientationsfor the hook member 18.

Referring now to FIGS. 7A and 7B, the hook retaining portion 26 isrotatably supported on the exterior of the tool 10 to enable the hookmember 18 to be rotated or pivoted from a stowed position (FIG. 7A) toone or more extended positions (e.g., FIG. 7B) in relation to the toolhousing 14. In the stowed position, the shank 22 of the hook member 18is positioned close to the housing 14 of the tool 10 in order tominimize the possibility of the hook inadvertently contacting orcatching on objects during use of the tool. As can be seen in FIGS. 1and 2, the housing defines a hook-shaped recess 27 that is sized andshaped complementarily with respect to the hook portion 24 of the hookmember 18. When the shank 22 is in the stowed position, the shank 22 canbe rotated hook portion can be rotated to move the hook portion 24 to aposition at which it can be located within the recess 27.

The hook retaining portion 26 of the support member 20 is configured torotate about axis B so the hook member 18 can be moved to one or moreextended positions where clearance is provided for the hook member to berotated without obstruction about the axis A. Referring to FIG. 5, theshaft portion 28 of the support 20 is received in a bushing 46 that issupported within in a portion of the housing 14 of the tool. The bushing46 defines a bore 48. A first end portion 50 of the bushing 46 defines afirst opening 52 through which the shaft portion is introduced into thebore. A second end portion 54 of the bushing 46 defines a second opening56 through which the end 58 of the shaft 28 protrudes.

In one embodiment, the first end portion 50 of the bushing 46 is pressedor keyed into a recess 60 provided in a first portion 62 of the housing14. The first portion 14 of the housing 14 defines an opening 62 throughwhich the shaft portion 28 extends prior to reaching the bushing 46. Thefirst portion 60 of the housing also includes a planar outer surfaceportion 66 that provides a support surface against which the hookretaining portion 26 of the support member 20 is allowed to rotate.

The second end portion 54 of the bushing 46 is supported by a secondportion 68 of the housing 14, and a fastener structure 70 (FIGS. 3A, 3B,4A, 4B), such as a roll pin or rod, is extended through the protrudingend 58 of the shaft 28 to prevent the withdrawal of the shaft 28 fromthe bushing 46. A detent system 70, 72 similar to the detent system usedfor the shank 22 of the hook member 18 may be used to provide discreteangular positioning capability for the rotatable support member 26. Forexample, the second end portion 54 of the bushing 46 may be providedwith detent structures 72, in the form of notches or grooves, that arearrayed about the second opening 56 to the bore. The notches 72 areconfigured to receive the protruding portions of the roll pin 70 (FIG.5) in the end 58 of the shaft 28.

A biasing member 74, such as a compression spring, machined spring, aspring with shape forming alloy or material, is used to bias theprotruding portions of the pin 70 toward and into the notches 72provided in the second end portion 54 of the bushing 46. In theembodiment of FIG. 5, an internal compression spring is used to providethe biasing force. As seen in FIG. 5, the shaft 28 has a steppedconfiguration with a larger diameter section 76 that extends from thehook retaining portion 26 through the first opening 52 in the first endportion 50 of the bushing 46. The shaft 28 transitions from the largerdiameter portion 76 to a smaller diameter portion 78 within the bore 48of the bushing 46 with the smaller diameter portion 78 extending out ofthe bore 48 through the second opening 56 in the second end portion 54of the bushing 46. This transition results in a collar structure 80being formed on the shaft 28 within the bore 48.

The first and second openings 52, 56 are sized to rotatably andtranslatably receive the differently sized sections 76, 78 of the shaft28. As seen in FIG. 5, the wall that defines the bore 48 within thebushing 46 transitions from a wider diameter portion that encompassesthe first opening to a narrower diameter portion that encompasses thesecond opening. This transition results in a ledge structure 82 beingformed within the bore 48 that is arranged facing the collar structure80 on the shaft 28. The ledge structure 82 and the collar structure 80are spaced far enough apart from each other to provide clearance for theintroduction of the compression spring 74.

In one embodiment, four evenly spaced notches 72 are provided in thesecond end portion 54 of the bushing 46. The notches 72 enable the hookretaining portion 26 to be retained in the stowed position (FIG. 7A) andat an extended position (FIG. 7B) that is at 90° relative to the stowedposition. In alternative embodiments, more notches may be provided atsmaller increments about the axis of rotation to enable the rotatablesupport member to be retained at multiple extended positions.

As mentioned above, one or more dual axis hook assemblies may beincorporated into the housing of a power tool at various locationsdepending on the type of tool, the weight distribution of the tool, thelocation of the handle, and other factors. In the embodiment of FIGS.1-8, the location of the dual axis hook assembly 12 on the housing 14 ofthe power tool 10 is selected to provide a stable and ergonomic restposition for the tool when it is suspended. For example, referring toFIGS. 8A and 8B, the hook assembly 12 is incorporated into the upperportion of the housing 14 at a position relative to the lateral centerof gravity C of the tool 10 that allows the tool to come to rest whenstowed with the lateral dimension of the base plate 15 substantiallyhorizontal. The hook assembly 12 is also located at a position relativeto the front-to-rear center of gravity D of the tool 10 that allows thetool to rest when stowed in a balanced position with the tool handle 16at an ergonomically optimized position for a user to easily grasp.

While the disclosure has been illustrated and described in detail in thedrawings and foregoing description, the same should be considered asillustrative and not restrictive in character. It is understood thatonly the preferred embodiments have been presented and that all changes,modifications and further applications that come within the spirit ofthe disclosure are desired to be protected.

What is claimed is:
 1. A power tool comprising: a housing including amotor portion and a handle portion, the motor portion enclosing a motorand drive system configured to drive a work element, the handle portionextending from the motor portion and forming a grip for placement of auser's hand; and a hook assembly including: a hook support rotatablyattached to the housing and configured to rotate with respect to thehousing about a first axis; and a hook member having a shank portion anda hook portion, the shank portion defining a second axis and beingrotatably attached to the hook support and configured to rotate withrespect to the hook support about the second axis, the second axis beingtransverse to the first axis, the hook portion extending in a radialdirection from the shank portion, wherein rotation of the hook supportwith respect to the housing about the first axis alters an orientationof the shank portion of the hook member with respect to the housing,wherein rotation of the shank portion with respect hook support altersthe radial direction of the hook portion, wherein the hook supportincludes a shaft portion and a hook retaining portion, wherein: thehousing includes a bushing that defines a bore through which the shaftportion of the hook support extends and is rotatably retained, the shaftportion of the hook support includes a protruding portion, the bushingdefines a plurality of notches configured to releasably retain theprotruding portion, the notches defining different angular positions forthe shaft portion with respect to the first axis, the protruding portionbeing moved from notch to notch as the shaft portion is rotated aboutthe first axis, wherein: the hook retaining portion defines a passage inwhich the shank portion of the hook member is rotatably received, theshank portion of the hook member includes a protruding portion thatextends radially outwardly from the shank portion adjacent an endportion of the passage, and the hook retaining portion defines aplurality of notches in the end portion that are arrayed about thepassage and configured to releasably retain the protruding portion, theplurality of notches in the hook retaining portion defining differentangular positions with respect to the second axis at which the shankportion is releasably retained, and rotation of the shank portion of thehook member with respect to the hook retaining portion of the hooksupport causes the protruding portion to be released from one of thenotches and move to another of the notches where the protruding portionis releasably retained.
 2. The power tool of claim 1, wherein the hooksupport is rotatable between a first position and a second position inrelation to the housing, wherein, when the hook support is in the firstposition, the shank portion is oriented along an outer surface of thehousing, and wherein, when the hook support is in the second position,the shank portion is oriented so as to extend outwardly from thehousing.
 3. The power tool of claim 1, wherein the hook assembly furthercomprises a first biasing member configured to bias the protrudingportion on the shaft portion of the hook support into the notches of thebushing and a second biasing member configured to bias the protrudingportion on the shank portion of the hook member into the notches of thehook support.
 4. The power tool of claim 3, wherein the protrudingportion on the shank portion of the hook member comprises a pin thatextends through the shank portion.
 5. The power tool of claim 2, whereinthe housing defines a hook-shaped recess sized and positioned to receivethe hook portion of the hook member, and wherein, when the hook supportis in the first position, the hook portion is received in thehook-shaped recess.
 6. The power tool of claim 2, wherein the housingdefines a center of gravity, and wherein the hook support is attached toan upper portion of the housing above the center of gravity of thehousing.
 7. The power tool of claim 6, wherein the power tool comprisesa circular saw.
 8. A handheld circular saw comprising: a housingincluding a motor portion and a handle portion, the motor portionenclosing a motor and drive system configured to drive a circular sawblade, the handle portion extending from the motor portion and forming agrip for placement of a user's hand; and a hook assembly including: ahook support rotatably attached to the housing and configured to rotatewith respect to the housing about a first axis; and a hook member havinga shank portion and a hook portion, the shank portion defining a secondaxis and being rotatably attached to the hook support and configured torotate with respect to the hook support about the second axis, thesecond axis being transverse to the first axis, the hook portionextending in a radial direction from the shank portion, wherein rotationof the hook support with respect to the housing about the first axisalters an orientation of the shank portion of the hook member withrespect to the housing, and wherein rotation of the shank portion withrespect hook support alters the radial direction of the hook portion,wherein the hook support includes a shaft portion and a hook retainingportion, wherein: the housing includes a bushing that defines a borethrough which the shaft portion of the hook support extends and isrotatably retained, the shaft portion of the hook support includes aprotruding portion, the bushing defines a plurality of notchesconfigured to releasably retain the protruding portion, the notchesdefining different angular positions for the shaft portion with respectto the first axis, the protruding portion being moved from notch tonotch as the shaft portion is rotated about the first axis, wherein: thehook retaining portion defines a passage in which the shank portion ofthe hook member is rotatably received, the shank portion of the hookmember includes a protruding portion that extends radially outwardlyfrom the shank portion adjacent an end portion of the passage, and thehook retaining portion defines a plurality of notches in the end portionthat are arrayed about the passage and configured to releasably retainthe protruding portion, the plurality of notches in the hook retainingportion defining different angular positions with respect to the secondaxis at which the shank portion is releasably retained, and rotation ofthe shank portion of the hook member with respect to the hook retainingportion of the hook support causes the protruding portion to be releasedfrom one of the notches and move to another of the notches where theprotruding portion is releasably retained.
 9. The handheld circular sawof claim 8, wherein the hook support is rotatable between a firstposition and a second position in relation to the housing, wherein, whenthe hook support is in the first position, the shank portion is orientedalong an outer surface of the housing, and wherein, when the hooksupport is in the second position, the shank portion is oriented so asto extend outwardly from the housing.
 10. The handheld circular saw ofclaim 9, wherein the hook assembly further comprises a first biasingmember configured to bias the protruding portion on the shaft portion ofthe hook support into the notches of the bushing and a second biasingmember configured to bias the protruding portion on the shank portion ofthe hook member into the notches of the hook support.
 11. The handheldcircular saw of claim 10, wherein the protruding portion on the shankportion of the hook member comprises a pin that extends through theshank portion.
 12. The handheld circular saw of claim 9, wherein thehousing defines a hook-shaped recess sized and positioned to receive thehook portion of the hook member, and wherein, when the hook support isin the first position, the hook portion is received in the hook-shapedrecess.
 13. The handheld circular saw of claim 9, wherein the housingdefines a center of gravity, and wherein the hook support is attached toan upper portion of the housing above the center of gravity of thehousing.